Device for treating storage battery cell covers



Dec. 25, 1945. o. o. RlEsEl I DEVICE FOR TREATING STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS 4 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed March 13, 1940 INVENTOR'.'

Degas, 1945. Q Q .ESER 2,391,478

DEVICE FOR TREATIG STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS DIgiAnal Filed March 13, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. @Ln/fra lese/r.

. t o nefs Dec. 25, 1945. o. o. RlEsER DEVICE. FOR TREATING STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS Original Filed March 13, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 @IUN ll s' u T NA Ns R w .N T A Iva. U. A c. `.K Il 0&0 .n

Dec. 25, 1945. o. o. RlEsER 2,391,478

DEVICE FOR TREATING STORAGE BATI-ERY CELL COVERS Original Filed March 15, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORN E YS.

'Patented Dec. 25, 1945 UNITED 1 STATES y 2,391,478 PATENT OFFICE 2,391,478l y DEVICE ron TREATINQSTORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS Oliver O. Rieser; Oak Park,'1ll., assigner to The Richardson Company, Lockland, Ohio, a cor- Y poration of Ohio Applicationy Maren 13, 1949., serial No. 323,784,

` now Patent No. 2,342,012, dated February 15, 1944, which is a division of application Serial No. 182,789,December31, 1937,'ow Patent No'. 2,212,402, dated August 2'0, 1940. 'Divided and this application July 2, 1942, Serial No. 449,453

Thisis a', division'of my copending' application ofthe saine title, Serial N. 323,784, led March Y 1940, which matured into" Patent No. 2,342,012`,d1ate`d Februarylglllll, and which, in turn, is'a' division of my' application, Serial No.

182,289, Vfiled December 31, '1937,'which matured intoratentgivo. 2,212,4'oa'dated August zo, 1940. Cell, covers' of storage batteries are usually moulded off a vulcanizable rubber composition.

Following' the molding'operation a number of after' treatments` are required, including the reinov'alff ns and the like, and also'including truingup the side and end'edges by' grinding. Deviceshave' hitherto been'employed'forthe grindof the Side and' end'edges of a cell cover in a mreor less' automatic'way. Such devices involved at least a pair'of conveyors at right' angles to each othe'r, upon which conveyors cell 'covers Were'move'd' along both' in' sidewise and' in endvWise"positionsand during such movement were 'subjected' to'tlie' action of' oppositely disposed 'grinding' means.' In one sense the" invention hereinafter tobejdescribed may be regarded as an addition' to such' means' since where such means are employed it is advantageousto'cause tl'i'em t'o feed the 'storage battery cell covers into tlie means' of my invention'.`

'Withthe "exception ofthe'grindirig of the side ande'ndl edges of storage'battery cell-covers, however', all'other nishing operations on such cell covershave hithertobee'n" carried on by hand.l

These 'operations include' the removal of ns, the removal 'of' portionsof moulded product covering terniin'al'A and/or' vent'openings,' the grinding of the corners'of the'storage'battery' cell'c'over, the

reaming of openings, the reaming of the usual' slo't or gas" groove in the skirt' surrounding the vent opening 'an'd the like- With the development o 'f 'more' modern types'of storage battery cell covefrs', Aadditional reaming operations are required, including the re'amingl of the center perforations in* metallic 'inserts to which lterminal` posts will Vbfe fused, the reaming' of external portions of metallic inserts, and the like. In plants producing storagej' battery cell covers, there' has' always hitherto"r been a long finishing and inspection line including' a very' large'number of operators armed With knives, reamers'and the like.

" Ihe` fundamental object'of my invention is the provision of means' and a'method whereby these multifarious operations are carried on byrmachine" rather than"` by hand. Other and ancillary objects' offmy invention will be' apparent to one sliilledin the'art ,uponreading these specificationsA or"will'be"set"forth hereinafter, I accom- Figure' 4` isl an end' elevation of the machine taken'fr'om the right hand end. l

` Figure' is a side elevational view of a portion of themechanism shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 isa plan view of vside and end grinding means of known form, which may be taken in connection wit'liFigs. 1' and' 2 to show'the relationship of my mechanism to it.

Figure 'l isa s ectionalview through areaming headv taken along the lines 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure' 8 isa sectional' view through the cross heads of a reaming' device taken'along the lines 8-8 of Figure 2. y

Figure 9'is a sectional view through thema- ,chineshowing the relationship of reaming'heads 'to" the workbeing `operate'd'upon and is taken along the linesv .fl-9r of Figure 2.l

Figure 10 is a View' of the operating means for the corner grinders and is taken along the lines lilluci Figure` 2. FigureI 11 isa perspective view of means for finishing the slot in' the skirt about the vent'opening'in a storage battery cell cover. j l

`Figure 12 is a plan view of an upper side of a 'storage vbattery cel1 cover.

Figure 13 is a section taken Valong the lines `I3-I3 of Figure 12 showing the cell cover with insertsv of that figure.

Figure' 14 is an elevational view of a reamer `with which' is combined a tool for shaping the 40 outer suriace `of the projecting part of a metal insert in the storage battery cell coverL' Figure 15 is an elevationalview of 'a' reamer with which is' combined a facing tool.

7Reierring first to Figures 12 and 13, I have show-n an exemplary type of battery cell cover' H.

'This is a domed body having edge flanges I2, 'openings i3 for the terminals ofthe plates inthe cells, and a vent opening I4. The terminal openings are tted with metal bushings I5'. The cell cover isma'de usually by moulding and curing a hard'rubber composition under' heat and pressure; and the metal inserts are moulded in position', After the moulding andcuring a g'ood deal of work remains to be done' on the cell cover.

The ashes'cr 1111s have to be cutaway, Theside 34 in Figure l.

edges I6 and end edges I1 of the anges have to be accurately ground to size so that the cell cover will fit accurately within the `cell walls. The grinding of the side and end edges, originally done by hand, has more recently been done upon a machine which I shall describe briefly hereinafter because the specific mechanism with which vbe finished by an outside finishing tool because connector lugs are usually placed over them and burned into position. Likewise, the under edges both of the metal inserts and of the adjacent collar of the cell cover have to be cut smooth as at 22, and the bottom portion of the metal insert is usually beveled as at 23.

All fins have to be removed from about the filling opening I4, the top edges of the opening have to be smoothed as at 24 and beveled as at 25. The depending skirt 26 of the filling opening may be treated or not as desired; but it is usually reamed to get rid of any skin or diaphragm occurring at this point. In any event the gas vent slots 21 must be formed if not already formed in the moulding, and must be cleaned out.

All of these operations have hitherto been performed by hand so that in plants making cell covers vthere has been a long line of operators with specialized machines performing these several operations individually.

I have indicated hereinabove that the grinding of the side and end edges has been performed by v machine.

I have illustrated the general features of such a machine in Figure 6. Here the cell vcovers I I are placed upon guides or a conveyor 2B and are delivered to a chain conveyor 29 by which they are carried endwise in interspaced relationship (being confined by guides 3B) past interspaced rotating grinding wheels 3I by which the V,side edges are ground. During the grinding of the covers they may be held down onto the conveyor by means 32. Pusher means 33 deliver the cell covers to another chain conveyor 34 by Which they are movedv sidewise in interspaced relationship between guides 35. They are carried between rotating interspaced grinding wheels 36 by means of which the end edges are ground; and they may be held down during this operation by means 3l.

In Figure l, I have shown in plan View, an apparatus which either may be used alone or may be used in conjunction with the apparatus for grinding the side and end edges of the cell cover. I have indicated the termination of the conveyor From this conveyor the cell covers are transferred to carriages 38 on another conveyor 39, and ultimately to still another conveyor 39a, both of which conveyors have a stepby-step movement. The cell covers are advanced to different work stations, where diierent operations are performed on them. I have indicated at 48 a station at which the corners of the flanges of the cell covers are beveled or rounded by grinding. This is accomplished by means of grinding wheels 4 I, 42, 43, and 44, specially shaped driven by the shaft 66.

for the purpose. Pairs of these wheels are mounted upon shafts 45 and 43 and are rotated; and in proper timed relationship tothe movements of the conveyor 35, the wheels are brought in against the corners of the cell cover anges. These means will be more fully described hereinafter.

At 47, 48 and 49, I have indicated generally various work stations at which reamers operate upon the cell covers. At 55, is a station at which the gas grooves 27 are formed and/ or cleaned out.

Taking up these several elements in order, the conveyor chains 39a pass over sprockets 5 I, 52, 53 and 54, mounted respectively upon the frame 55 of the machine. As I have indicated, the conveyors 33 and 39a move in a step-by-step fashion. The machine assembly illustrated in Figure 1 may have a separate source of power, or it may be driven from the drive for the apparatus of Figure 6. In Figure 2, I have shown the chains 34, passing over sprockets 56 and 5'?, the latter of which is fastened to a shaft 58'. This shaft is connected by beveled gears 59 to a drive shaft 6I) extending longitudinally 'of the machine. A clutch 6I is located along the length of this shaft intermediate the bevel gears 59 and the' devices Y This clutch is operated by a handle 62 through suitable linkage 63. The shaft 66 is connected by bevel gearing 64 with a transverse shaft G5 journaled on the bed of the machine near its right hand end as shown in Figures v2 and 4. The shaft 65 may be fitted with a hand Wheel 6,6` for manual jogging or rotation of the machine if desired. The shaft 65, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, bears a, gear 61 which meshes with a gear 68 on a stud. This gear bears a sprocket 69, which is connected by a chain 'I6 to a sprocket 'I I. To this sprocket there is connected the driving member 'I2 of a Geneva movement, the cross wheel 'i3 of which isl mounted upon a shaft I4, which bears the sprockets 52 for the conveyor chains 39a. The shaft 'I4 may be fitted with a brake Y'I5 to prevent over-running of the conveyor.

The sprockets 5I of the conveyor 39a are mounted upon the same shaft assprockets 5Ia for the conveyor 39. The sprockets` 5Ib for the other end of the conveyor 39, though they may be I TI, in the face of which acam groove 18 is cut.

A lever I9 is shown pivoted'tothe frame 55 at 6B in Figure 4. It bears a cam follower roller 8|, lying in the Vcam groove. The end of the lever 'I9 is connected by a linkage 82 with an'arm 83, fastened to the shaft 84, which extends longitudinally of the machine. Through the rotations of the gear 'I1 and the operation of the mechanism, just described, the timing shaft 84 is rockedback and forth.

The drive for the corner grinding mechanism is best appreciated from a consideration of Figures l and 2 and 10. The grinding wheels, in pairs, are mounted, as shown on the shafts 45 and 46. These shafts are carried on arms 85 and 84 bears a gear 89 which meshes With a' gear 90,

mounted on a stud on the frame. The ends of the-armsI-85and '86: are-connected respectively by' links19|andi 921L with' eccentric" pivot' pins 931 on theg'earrzl Thus, when the shaft 84' rocks the gear 90;'l the. twoy pairs of' grinding wheelsv 4|, 42 and 43, 44, are caused to approach and recede from each other; and this action is carried on in timedrelationship tothe movements of the con-f veyor. As the two pairs ofgrinding wheels: approach each other, they contact and grind* thel corners ofthe'cell cover flanges'.l ".L'riey: are specially shaped. to give the desired ycorner contour.

2I-he` construction of the reaming heads will. best be appreciated from Figures 2, 3, 4, '1 and 8. The' lovler reamer heads are essentially the same as the upper ones, but are in inverted position Extending longitudinally of the machine I provide a bar 94, which bears upper and lower track members 95 and 99. Each track is provided with a rack 91 or 98. Each reamer head has a carriage 99 for a bas; and this carriage is slidable on the track member 95 or the track member 96. In each carriage, there is a shaft bearing a pinion |0| meshing with the rack. The end of the shaft is squared as at |02 or otherwise fitted for engagement with a Wrench or removable hand wheel. By these means the position of the reaming heads may be adjusted longitudinally of the machine.

Each reamer head has a post |93, which is mounted upon a base |04'slidab1e in ways on the carriage 99. These Ways are transverse to the direction of the track members 95 and 96. A lug |05 on the base |04 is perforated and threaded to accept a threaded shaft |06 rotatably, but not slidably movable in the carriage 99. The end of this shaft is likewise squared as at |01 or treated for engagement with a removable wrench, wheel or handle. By these means, adjustment of the reaming heads transversely of the machine is provided.

A cross arm |08 is slidably mounted upon the post |03. It may be adjusted as to height by means of a threaded shaft |09, .engaging the arm, and rotatably but not slidably mounted in a bracket l0 fastened to the top of the post, the shaft being provided with a hand wheel or the like p It is convenient to provide a separate motor drive for each reaming head.V I have therefore shown a motor ||2 fastened to one end of each arm |08. At the other end of the arm, a sleeve H3 may be mounted upon ball bearings I|4. This sleeve bears a pulley H5 connected by `a belt ||6 to the motor H2. The operating shaft ||1 of the reamer is slidably but non-rotatably mounted in the sleeve I3. At one end this shaft bears a suitable chuck for the reamer bits, as at IIB. It also carries a rotatable sleeve ||9 which is fixed as to its longitudinal position upon the operating shaft l1. This sleeve is provided with rack teeth |20. A gear |2I mounted upon a shaft |22 journaled in the arm |08 meshes with the teeth on the sleeve and forms the means for raising and lowering the operating shaft of the reamer. -An arm |23 fixed on the shaft |22 is connected by a suitable linkage |24 with an arm |25 fixed on the shaft 84. By these means, the reamer heads are operated in timed sequence to the movements of the conveyor. Y

As shown in Fig. 9', the conveyor chains 39a. bear pins |26 for properly positioning the cell covers; and the cell covers are carried along beneath projecting guide members |21 which hold the cell covers down as the reaming tools are withdrawn from them.

n' A'Ihefvariousr'eaming, operations maybe different fordiiferent typesy of cellcovers; but by means which I have described, adjustment of the reamer heads'may be. made to take care'of different styles of cell covers. Likewise, the reamer bitsmay be of any character appropriate tothe task which they are to perform. Exemplaryy types; of reamer bits are shown atv |28 and |29 in Figure 9. In. Figure 14, Ihave shown a reamer bit including an internalreamerl, having an attachment |'3| with cutting. surfaces |32, |33 and |34 forcuttingfrespectively the top, rthey outer surface, and a` shoulder-*uponaa' metal insert l5. In Figure 15, Ifhave shownfa taper reamer |35fitted' with anv attaohmentwt` for smoothing an annular surface.

In my machine, it will be understood, of course, that there are as many of the reamer heads as may be required for the several operations to be performed.

At work station 50 on my machine, I provide means for forming and/or cleaning out the gas grooves 21 on the under side of the skirt 26 of the filling opening of the cell cover. These means .comprise preferably a small circular saw |31 fixed on a shaft |38 journaled in a swinging arm |39. The arm is pivoted by means of a shaft |40 to a bracket |4| fastened to the frame of the machine. A pulley |42 is fastened to the shaft |38, and is connected by means of a belt |44 with a pulley |43 on the shaft |40. A pulley |45 on the other end of the shaft |40 is connected by means of a belt |46 to a motor |41. It will be evident in this construction that the arm |39 may be raised or lowered Without disturbing the drive of the saw |31. The bracket |4| is so fastened to the frame of the machine as to give to the saw |31 the correct angular relationshipfor cutting the gas grooves. It will be evident that as the cell covers reach the proper position at the work station 50, the gas grooves will be formed and/or cleaned out therein upon raising and lowering the arm |39. .To this end I provide a mechanism also illustrated in Figure 11, wherein a lug |48 rests upon a cam |49 fixed on a shaft |50. This shaft is suitably journaled and supported as in a bracket |52 on the frame of the machine. An arm |5| is fixed to the shaft |59 and is connected by a suitable linkage |53 with an arm |54 on the shaft 84.

The operation of my machine will be clear from the foregoing. In the preferred embodiment of my machine which I have illustrated, the cell covers, in the condition in which they are taken from the moulds, are loaded onto the conveyor or guides 28 and in succession the several operations to which I have referred are performed on them, until at the end of the machine the cell covers are delivered in finished condition and ready for inspection.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it.

Havingv thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, means for treating the corners of cell covers, said means comprising means for moving cell covers step-b-ystep in a straight line path, grinding means on each side of said path, said grinding means arranged in opposed pairs congured to contact the corner portions of cell covers when the pairs are moved inwardly in opposite directions, means for driving said grinding means, and means for moving said grinding means in against the corners of cell covers in timed relationship to the movements of said moving means, so as to contact and dress the corners of said cell covers during periods of rest thereof.

2. In a machine of the class described, a frame, a conveyor, a step-by-step drive for said conveyor, means for grinding the corners of cell covers, and means in connection With said drive for bringing said grinding means against said cell covers, said grinding means comprising a pair of grinding wheels on each side of said conveyor, shafts on which said wheels are mounted, driving means for said shafts, mounting means for said shafts whereby they may be moved concurrently toward and away from each other, a member moving in synchronism with said conveyor drive, and opposed connections between said last mentioned member and said mounting means for said shafts whereby said member produces concurrent movement of said shats toward and away from each other.V

3. The structure claimed in claim 2 wherein the grinding wheels of each pair are mounted upon a common shaft in parallelism, spaced so as to contact adjacent corners of a cell cover, and wherein adjacent edges of the Wheels of each pair are beveled inwardly and spaced to grind a contour on the edges of the iianges of said cell covers.

OLIVER O'. RIESER. 

